Part of the reason it's taken me so long to get back into the KRA groove is that I was dreading getting into this map. I remember this one being quite frustratingly difficult from my walkthrough series and was severely lacking motivation. However, it seems I built it up a little too much in my head, as it really wasn't that bad. In fact I would say it was less frustrating that Blighted Farmlands.
That isn't to say it's easy by any means, and the grades below tell the story of a solid, challenging map that stretches the heroes out across the spectrum. I think I just developed a bit of PTSD regarding the enemies in the third act of the game (Void Blinkers, Vile Spawners, Noxious Spitters, etc.) that has colored my perception of these maps.
Impressions
Not bragging on myself, but the build for this map has a decent amount of flexibility in its ordering, so that it can adapt to the various strengths and weaknesses of the heroes. Heroes with no ranged attack might need to develop the Archers guarding the exits a bit faster, while casters like Therien can focus on upgrading the Paladins a bit more to shore up their lack of blocking.
The grades shouldn't be terribly surprising if you've been following the trends. Raelyn continues to take the bottom spot, and this map really highlights her weaknesses. With three entrances that all need a hero's attention at various points, her slow-as-molasses movement speed is such a hindrance. Then we she gets where she's going, her low DPS means she takes forever to get the job done, making her late to move to the next hot spot and compounding the problem. The worst is when you need your hero to take down a Vile Spawner solo, because you generally need them to do it as fast as possible to go help support a threat on another lane.
Grimson joins her in the 'C' range. He trades Raelyn's movement speed problem for a lack of her survivability. All other grades are fairly straightforward for the performances we've come to expect from the other heroes.
Final Grades
- Vesper - B-
- Raelyn - C
- Nyru - B
- Torres - B-
- Anya - B+
- Grimson - C+
- Broden - A+
- Therien - B
- Onagro - B-
- Warhead - A-
- Lumenir - A
- Kosmyr - A
